Researchers in ACP countries are facing a growing range of challenges. They are required to respond effectively to the demands of policy makers, private sector investors and donor agencies, farmers and other stakeholders in the agri-food chain. They are being asked to deliver research outputs that will improve agricultural productivity, food quality and food safety, in order to increase their countries competitiveness in global markets, and contribute to food security, poverty alleviation and sustainable development. At the same time, researchers must be socially and ethically responsible and contribute to the advancement of science and technology. As the demands for accountability increase and the levels of funding diminish, researchers need to prioritize and strategize their responses.

ACP farming systems are very diverse and the scientific community must be able to provide adequate responses to meet the varied needs of small subsistence farmers who make up the majority of the ACP farming community while simultaneously addressing the needs of the medium to large-scale farming enterprises to compete on price, quality, responsiveness to changing consumer demands and reliability in supply in all markets. Therein lies the challenge as there is no one-size fits all approach that will enable researchers to respond to the needs of small scale farmers who are primarily concerned with sustainable livelihoods or medium to large-scale farms who wish to remain competitive and take advantage of any opportunities despite deteriorating environmental conditions and trade and economic restrictions. Within the last few years, the ACP region has seen a resurgence of emphasis on family farms which are being valued not only for their contribution to maintaining social order but to environmental sustainability. This dossier provides guidance and lessons learned on the need for the ACP region to apply a differentiated strategic approach for using science to enhance the performance of ACP agricultural sector.

The poultry value chain in Africa, Caribbean and the Pacific (ACP) countries involves both large-scale integrated enterprises and small-scale production systems. The former have benefited from capital investments, access to information and scientific research, whereas the latter remain isolated despite their significance. Family poultry comprises approximately 80% of the world's total poultry stock and plays a key role in many households in ACP countries for food and nutrition security, livelihoods and conservation of indigenous breeds. An analysis of the family poultry value chain, including its poor productivity and low financial and technical inputs, shows that it contrasts markedly with conditions in large-scale commercial poultry enterprises. Governments and researchers would be well advised to thoroughly review the family poultry value chains to identify priorities for science and innovation that can contribute to improved efficiency for the provision of eggs, live birds, fresh-chilled, frozen and other value-added poultry products. This summary is provided by CABI and CTA, July 2012.

The ACP Group of States need to adjust the approach to agricultural production, marketing and distribution to be able to compete in national, regional and international markets. Traditional commodities such as banana are no longer assured of guaranteed prices and ready access to international markets. How then should the ACP region respond? Commodities, traditionally considered as food security crops are now being looked at in a different light. Can scientists assist the countries in making informed decisions to improve efficiency, cost effectiveness, quality and competitiveness?

The ACP Group of States need to adjust the approach to agricultural production, marketing and distribution to be able to compete in national, regional and international markets. Traditional commodities such as coffee are no longer assured of guaranteed prices and ready access to international markets. How then should the ACP region respond? Commodities, traditionally considered as food security crops are now being looked at in a different light. Can scientists assist the countries in making informed decisions to improve efficiency, cost effectiveness, quality and competitiveness?

Related developments

In this online guide, Puneet Kishor of the Creative Commons explains that a more open copyright licence does exactly what researchers want, when it comes to moving research forward and receiving credit for their work. This guide introduces the Creative Commons licences best suited to science and the principles behind them. (MyScienceWork.com, 02.09.2014)

A number of Pacific Islands have established organic certification programmes and are developing exports of virgin coconut oil, vanilla and coffee but lack specific capacity in organic production method. The objectives of this project of the POETCOM network in Tonga are to enhance livelihood opportunities for youth in organic agriculture, training of trainers for extension providers in sustainable organic production methods, provide ongoing mentoring and support to young farmers to update knowledge and skills, capacity building in organic production for youth farmers and linking youth agricultural enterprises into existing organic certification and market chains. Sub-regional workshops are expected to encourage youth from rural and outer island communities in the Polynesian countries to produce healthy food and live healthy.http://thejetnewspaper.com/2013/03/12/building-capacity-of-youth-in-organic-agriculture/(The Jet Newspaper, 12/03/2013)

Postgraduate Training Fellowships for Women Scientists from Sub-Saharan Africa and Least Developed Countries (LDC) at Centres of Excellence in the South. Deadline for applications: 30 April of each year. The Fellowship is offered to women scientists to purse postgraduate research in the following fields of basic sciences: biology, chemistry, mathematics and physics.

Eighth of March 2011 is International Women's Day.
The theme for this International Women’s Day is “Equal access to education, training, and science and technology: decent work for women.” AWARD, African Women in Agricultural Research and Development, is one of the successful initiative that supports women’s equality and advancement in the field of agricultural R.& D.For the occasion, Vicky Wilde, Director, CGIAR Gender & Diversity Program and AWARD, writes:"AWARD Fellows understand just how important the connection is between access to science and meaningful, profitable work for women. That is why they have dedicated their careers to conducting innovative research that is directly benefiting women and other smallholders."Read below the full text of Vicky Wilde's announcement.

Eighth of March 2011 is International Women's day.
On this occasion, Dr Lindiwe Majele Sibanda, Chief Executive Officer and Head of Mission Food, Agriculture and Natural Resources Policy Analysis Network (FANRPAN), writes how the 'Network' is hard at work to make sure the critical role that women farmers play in ensuring household food security is recognized. She writes:"As we mark the 100th anniversary of International Women’s Day, a global day celebrating the economic, political and social achievements of women past, present and future, it is unfortunate that it is only those women who enjoy a space and platform in academics, science, economics and politics who are celebrated and yet in Africa there is a deserving group of extraordinary women who still have no voice – the African women farmers."Read the full announcement below by Dr Lindiwe Majele Sibanda.

A study conducted by the West and Central African Council for Agricultural Research and Development (WECARD) and published early November 2010 in Dakar, Senegal, found that women own less than two per cent of arable lands in West and Central Africa, although they are responsible for about 80 per cent of the agricultural production for the supply of households and markets. The study noted that women constitute about 70 per cent of agricultural workers and are producing 50 to 60 per cent of cattle breeding products. Ten per cent of agro-processors are women and they account for 60 to 90 per cent of trade in the rural areas. The study listed the problems women are confronted with including the burden of customary and traditional practices, the lack of access to credit, their limited participation in agricultural extension services and limited access to commercial facilities and services. The results will be used by WECARD to design the organization’s gender policy and strategy. (Source: Afriquejet, 6 November 2010).

In September 2010, the African Economic Research Consortium (AERC, Nairobi, Kenya) published its ‘Special Paper’ No.46. It features an article by Abena D. Oduro (from the Department of Economics at the University of Ghana in Legon, Ghana) in which the authors analyze the representation of women in AERC research programmes. This report on women in economic research and graduate training in West Africa summarizes the findings of studies conducted in Ghana and Liberia (Geegbae, 2007; Oduro, 2007). The reports on Ghana and Liberia are intended to provide the AERC with data and the information required to design specific strategies and activities to increase the participation of women. In this report, the population statistics of women and men in undergraduate and graduate economics programmes in Ghana and Liberia are detailed, then used to explain, along with results from female student surveys, a variety of phenomena such as preferred areas of specialization, plans after graduation, barriers to professional growth, and other challenges, like family responsibilities. A series of recommendations is given as conclusion to the report, covering identified needs such as the strengthening of capacity in quantitative methods, the production of more core textbooks by local researchers, and the increase in short and specialized courses. (Source: AERC; September 2010)

The regional meeting of the International Network of Women Engineers and Scientists (INWES) took place on 26-27 August 2010 at the headquarters of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) in Washington DC. Representatives from 11 countries, including England, Poland, France, Japan, South Korea, Rwanda, and Egypt attended the conference. The conference was ‘part of a much larger global effort to improve women's position in regard to science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM)...as well as to improve women's empowerment and development by way of STEM,’ said Shirley Malcom, director of Education and Human Resources at AAAS. It focused on workforce and economic development for women scientists and engineers. (Source: American Association for the Advancement of Science, 21 September 2010)

Despite existing knowledge and, in some instances, the appropriate use of feed resources, milk production on dairy farms has remained low in the ranges of 2–5 Lcow-1day-1. In her paper, Mubiru argues that this poor performance clearly points to a gap in farmers' knowledge regarding cattle feeding. Since farmers are unable to know the quantities of feeds needed to meet the nutritional requirements of their animals, they were only able to provide 59% and 36% of the required metabolisable energy and crude protein, respectively, to their animals. A mechanism was developed by which farmers could establish adequate feed quantities for their cattle, even when they are combining a variety of feeds. ‘ENDIISA' is the web-based decision support tool that was one of the major outputs of the author’s winning research submission. Read Dr Mubiru and the other papers in the booklet of abstracts of all winning papers.

The finals of CTA/FARA/AGRA/RUFORUM/ANAFE/NPCA 2009-2010 Africa-wide science competitions were held in Burkina Faso from 19-20 July 2010 as a side event during the 5th African Agricultural Science Week and FARA General Assembly. The 'Women in science' competition was won by Dr Sarah Lubanga Mubiru of Uganda for her work on the Development of the ‘ENDIISA’ decision support tool for improved feeding of dairy cattle in Uganda. Other winners were Dr Theresia Luvuno Munga of Kenya, Ms Esperance Benedicte Zossou of Benin, Mrs Lalini Unmole of Mauritius and Ms Eunice Wamuyu Githae of Kenya. The Young Professionals Competition was won by Ms Sandrine Nguiakam of Cameroon for her paper on « Cours des matières premières, recettes budgétaires et croissance économique: Cas de la Cote d’Ivoire ». Other winners were Mr Kevin Zowe Mganga of Kenya, Ms Aneeza Soobedar of Mauritius, Dr Robert Kajobe of Uganda, Ms Wendkhoumi Sabine Marie Flore Doamba of Burkina Faso and Mr Michael Kwabena Osei of Ghana. Read the booklet of abstracts.

The Academy of Science of South Africa (ASSAf) hosted an International Conference of the Academy of Sciences for the Developing World (TWAS) from 19–23 October 2009 in Durban. This conference provided the ideal platform to announce the establishment of a National Chapter of the Third World Organization for Women in Science (TWOWS). There are currently 76 full members of TWOWS in South Africa, some of whom are also members of ASSAf. These TWOWS members are currently inactive in the international organization and do not reap the benefits of networking or strengthening links, due to the absence of an in-country coordinating structure. With the establishment of a TWOWS National Chapter, it is planned to initiate activities that will agree strongly with South Africa’s science and technology policy of increasing the participation of women in science. An executive committee will hold its second meeting in May 2010 to discuss, among other issues, the TWOWS National Chapter 2010/2011 strategic action plan. (Source: TWOS, April 2010)

The Women for Science Working Group (WfS-WG) of the InterAmerican Network of Academies of Science (IANAS) will be officially launched at its first meeting on 11 June 2010 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, in conjunction with the VII Meeting of the National Focal Points of the IANAS Science Education Program. The Working Group was established to aid IANAS in implementing the recommendations of the InterAcademy Council (IAC) Advisory Report on Women for Science, which argues that national science and technology capacity building requires the full engagement of women, from the top decision-making levels all the way down to the grassroots. (Source: TWOS, 7 May 2010)

Kgaogelo Amanda Maswanganye is one of the five inaugural recipients of the L'Oréal and Unesco Regional Fellowships for Women in Science in sub-Saharan Africa. Born in Limpopo, Maswanganye is one of two South African women to be awarded a fellowship towards the completion of their PhD studies. She is based at the University of Pretoria, where she tutors in molecular biology and is "concentrating on the grasslands of SA, which are fast disappearing, and its species such as dassies and mice and their distribution. (Source: All Africa, 19 April 2010)

A new FAO toolkit aims to sharpen the focus of anti-hunger and development efforts by helping countries gather more accurate information on differences between men and women in agriculture. The contribution of women and girls to agricultural production is often under-reported. The Agri-Gender Database, developed in response to a request from the African Commission on Agricultural Statistics (AFCAS), offers step-by-step, example-driven guidance on how to collect gender statistics, or sex-disaggregated data, in agriculture. It is designed for a wide range of users who influence development planning, from agricultural statisticians and researchers to policy planners and gender advocates. (Source: FAO, 15 April 2010)

By WEDO, February 2010. WEDO (Women’s Environment and Development Organization) has produced a short document providing a gender perspective on the outcomes of the December 2009 UNFCCC global climate negotiations in Copenhagen. The document briefly describes the process leading up to COP-15, the meeting itself, the outcome documents and the way forward in 2010.

To mark 2010 International Women’s Day, IUCN honored leaders who are at the forefront of women’s empowerment in tackling climate change. Climate change hinders sustainable development and is having an impact on all sectors of society including the environment, the economy, human health, disaster management and food security. The issue of gender and climate change is important because women are more vulnerable to the impacts of climate change because the majority of them are poor and have limited access to or control over resources such as land, credit, information, technology, and decision making. At the same time, women are powerful agents of climate change solutions as community leaders, holders of traditional knowledge, food production managers, care givers and educators. (Source: IUCN, 8 March 2010)

These science competitions seek to identify and give recognition to outstanding agricultural scientists and innovations led by African researchers, scientists and professionals who are effectively engaged in communicating the outputs (knowledge, technologies, approaches) of innovative agricultural research to farmers and agro entrepreneurs as well as advocating for policy change to optimize the benefits from scientific and technological developments. Excellence in science and innovation with high economic impact is seen as major criteria in promoting investments in agricultural research for development. The science competitions and awards are categorized as:1. Young Professionals in Science Award (25-40 years); and2. Women in Science AwardThe deadline for the submission of abstracts is the 6th of January 2010.

African Women in Agricultural Research and Development (AWARD) announced the selection of 61 women scientists who will receive the innovative AWARD Fellowship – a fellowship designed to boost the female talent pool for African agriculture. Chosen from nearly 500 applicants from 10 sub-Saharan African countries, these extraordinary women bring with them scientific and development expertise that has great potential to tackle the food crisis and climate change while improving the daily lives of small-scale farmers.

The 21st Century has seen significant contribution by the women in Asia in the development of Science. The Young Women Researcher Award aims to acknowledge and strengthen women representation and their technological leadership, in particularly their efforts and contributions in achieving Research Excellence. The award will be presented for: agricultural science; engineering & technology; life sciences and medicineDeadline for application: 31 August 2009.

The CGIAR Gender & Diversity Program is offering a women’s leadership course in 2009. The courses focus on building skills for working in teams, managing conflict, creating alliances and leveraging diversity for good research and development results. They incorporate a 360 evaluation of each participant’s current management and leadership skills, provide insight into broader gender issues she might encounter in the workplace and provide tools for dealing with them. They are conducted by world-class facilitators from Training Resources Group (TRG). From 6 – 12 September 2009 the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) is hosting a women’s leadership course in Los Banos, Philippines. The costs are approximately $ 4,000 for tuition and all course materials. (Travel, accommodation and meals paid separately.) More information about our Women’s Leadership Series is available at the gender diversity website.